Announced today by the BBC that two linear TV channels, BBC Three and BBC Scotland, will switch to iPlayer only output in a bid to save mounting costs faced by the broadcaster.

BBC Three was previously axed as a channel in 2016 but returned in 2022 so it has been a short-lived return. Unfortunately, the output hasn't been up to the standards of its heyday so it makes sense for it to close.

BBC Scotland is quite the loss as a national channel as it has only been round in its current guise since 2019.

The change means that whilst both channels will be gone from terrestrial TV the brand names will still be behind content that's available on iPlayer, exactly the same as what BBC Three did between 2016 and 2022.

More information is available here.

Not really surprising. For a long time it's felt like they've just relied on Drag Race to carry BBC Three. It can be good for documentaries and new comedies, but the comedies always just end up repeated on BBC One in late timeslots anyway. They just don't know what to do with it.